Car-starter



(No Model.)

le. HENRY.

GAR STARTER. No. 299,539. F1511' Patented June E,` 1884.

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i SAMUEL HENRY, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-STA RTER.

SPECIICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 299,539, dated `Tune 3,1884. Application med March 19,1884. (No model.)

To 'wl whom; t may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HENRY, of Braintree, in the county ofNorfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful-Improvement in Car-Starters, of

which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exactto enable any person skilledv in the art or science to which saidinvention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich-*- Figure l is a bottom plan View of a car provided with myimproved starter; Fig.. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same,taken on line x in Fig. l; and Fig. 3, an end view in perspective.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the differentfigures of the drawings.

My invention relates to that class of carstarters in which the powerexerted in stopping the car is stored up and utilized in starting it,being automatic in its action, and designed more especially forhorse-cars; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement'ofthe parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, by which amore effective device of this character is produced than is -30 now inordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understoodby all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the bottom of the car, B the axles, and Cthe trucks, these being all of ordinary construction, except ashereinafter specified.

Disposed around one of the axles there is a 4o hollow drumor case, D,provided around its ing an annular flange, b, provided around itsperiphery with a groove, d, is tted to the same axle, its body extendinginto the case D, and its outer end being serrated or provided with aseries of ratchet-teeth, f, which incline 5o in a direction oppositethose on the hub E, as

best seen in Figs. 1 and 3. v

Disposed within the case D, around the sleeve G, there is a stout hatcoiled spring, H, one endl of which is attached to said sleeve by thescrews i, and the other to the case by the screws h. A collet, J, isfitted to slide on the axle, but prevented from turning thereon by meansof a spline, (not shown,) said collet being provided at its inner endwith a series of serrations or ratchet-teeth, Z, adapted to engage theteeth f on the sleeve Gr. A cor responding collet, K, is fitted to slideon the opposite end of the axle, but prevented from `turning thereon bya spline, (not showm) said last-named collet being provided with aseries of serrations or ratchet-teeth, n, adapted to engage the teeth mon the hubE. A bar, L, is fitted to slide horizontally in the ways p and`transversely of the bottom A, said slide having at one end adownwardly-projecting bifurcated arm, M, the forksof which pass astridethe collet J, and at the other end a corresponding arm, N, whichbestrides the collet K, the

collets being' respectively provided with grooves r, for receiving theforked ends of the arms and preventing their escape therefrom.

The bar L is provided at one end with a diagonally arranged transversegroove, t, in

`which is fitted to slide the plate l?. This plate .is mounted on therod Q, supported in proper ways beneath the bottom A, and is jointed atone end to the vertically-arranged brake-lever R, and at the oppositeend to a like lever, S, the levers being respectively pivoted at o tothe ends of the car.

Projecting downwardly from one end of the frame-work of the bottom Athere is an arm or bracket, j, and secured in this there is a rod, T.This rod is flattened at its inner end,

forming a strap or friction-band, which passes `around the flange b, andis provided with thev band or flattened inner end of the rod T, resting`in the groove (l, to grasp or hug the flange b of the sleeve G, andthereby brake said sleeve, or prevent it from turning on or with theaxle B.

Projecting downwardly from the central portion of the bottom A there isa bracket or arm, Y, in which a horizontally-arranged rod, F, issecured. This rod is also flattened to form a friction-band, and passesaround the case D, terminating in the free end 15, and resting in thegroove a in the same manner that the rod T rests in the groove d. A bentlever, XV, corresponding in form with the lever U, is pivoted at 22 onthe rod F, and is actuated by a horizontally-projecting arm, 23, on therod Q, to cause the flattened portion of the rod F, resting in thegroove a, to hug or brake the case D and prevent it from turning on orwith the axle B when the lever It is movedinto a position opposite thatshown in Fig. 2, in Substantially the same manner as the rod T isactuated to brake the sleeve G.

The collets J K and their connecting parts are so constructed andarranged that when the levers R S are brought into a vertical positionthe collet J will be disengaged from the sleeve G and the collet K fromJthe case D, thereby permitting the car to run freely in eitherdirection without acting on the spring I-I or either of the brakes.

In the use of my improvement, when the ear is moving in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. l, if now it is desired to stop the car, the driver onthe forward end of the same pulls the brake-lever S inwardly, as bestseen in Fig. 2, thereby causing the arm 10 on the rod Q, to depress theouter end of the lever U and the rod T to brake or prevent the sleeve Gfrom turning. At the same time the collet K is caused to engage the caseD, and the collet J disengaged from the sleeve G, the spring H beingwound up within said case and the car stopped, in a manner which will bereadily obvious without a more explicit description.

It will be observed that when the upper end of the brake-lever S ispulled inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2 the corresponding endof the lever R will be thrown outwardly into a reverse position; also,that when the brake-levers are pulled or moved to cause the collet K toengage the case D and the collet J to be disengaged from the sleeve Gprior to winding up the spring, as described, the arm 23 on the rod Qwill pass off from the lever V, thereby releasing the grasp of thefriction band or rod F 011 the case D, and permitting said case to beturned freely when engaged by the collet K. After the spring has beenwound up within its case and the ear stopped, when it is desired tostart up the car, the brake-lever S is pushed outwardly, as shown inFig. 3, causing the collet K to be disengaged from the case D, thecollet J to engage the sleeve G, the rod or band T to release its holdon said sleeve, and the rod or band F to grasp and hold the case D,thereby permitting the spring to exert its power, through the collet Jon the axle B, to assist in starting the car.

It will be obvious that when the car is run in the opposite direct-ion,or toward the lever R, the operation of the mechanism will besubstantially the same, but that the spring will be wound up by holdingthe case D stationary and turning the sleeve G, instead of holding thesleeve stationary and turning the case, as described. It will also beobvious that the power required to brake up or stop the car is stored upin the spring and utilized to sta-rt the ear in either direction, as thecase may be, when one of the brakes is released; also, that the toothedeollets .l K respectively act as clutches in connection with the sleeveG and case D, and that instead thereof clutches of any other suitableconstruction adapted to perform the same functions may be used, ifdesired. The construction of the mechanism for operating the clutches,and also for braking er holding the case and sleeve stationary andreleasing the same, as required, may also be changed considerablywithout materially departing from the spirit of my invention. The leversU XV are respectively provided with adjusting-screws, (not shown,) whichact on the free ends of the rods T F, to regulate the pressure of thefriction-bands. XVhen the power necessary to stop the car has beenapplied and stored up in the spring H, or when said spring has beenwound up by holding the sleeve G stationary and turning the ease D, orvice versa, if, now, the brake-levers R S are moved into a verticalposition, the collets J K will be disengaged, the arm l() on the rod t),will actuate the lever U on the rod T, to tighten the friction-band onthe flange b ofthe sleeve G, and the arm 23 on the rod Qwill actuate thelever V on the rod F, to tighten the friction-band on the case D,thereby holding both the sleeve and case stationary, with the springwound up and in readiness for use in starting the car in eitherdirection desired, thus enabling the power used to brake up the car, forinstance, in going downhill to be utilized at any time thereafter,either in starting the car when stopped, or to assist in drawing ituphill.

It is not absolutely essential that the case D should cover the spring,or that the sleeve G should extend within the spring, provided IOO IIO

the case, spring, and sleeve are properly connation with the rod F, rodQ, arm 23, and nation with the rod Q, bar L, arms N, clutches ease D,substantially as and for the purpose J K, and levers R S, substantiallyas and for 1o set forth. the purpose set forth.

3. In a ear-starter, the lever U, in combil 5 nation with the rod T, rodQ, arm 10, and SAMUEL HENRY' sleeve G, substantially as and for thepurpose /Vtnesses:Y specified. C. A. SHAW,

4. In a ear-starter, the plate P, in eomb- L. J. WHITE.

